The Forty-Eighth Day of a Rich Second-Gen

"Angel Heart was said to have been left behind by the First Angel God. It represented the angels' mercy and was an energy-type Divine Artifact. Spirit Hall had always enshrined it. It was neither an offensive nor defensive Divine Artifact, so absorbing it would not be difficult," Tang San explained.

Fine, but Ming Sui still felt that this thing was rather unreliable.

After the Blue Silver Emperor absorbed the Angel God Power, she began attempting a Humanoid Transformation. By this point, there should basically be no surprises. If something still went wrong, it could only mean Ah Yin's Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast experience had been for nothing.

Clearly, Ah Yin had not muddled through it, so her Humanoid Transformation proceeded naturally.

But Ming Sui did not witness that scene. Nian Nian and she had expended too much Soul Power. Even with Ming Zhen's enhancement, they were exhausted beyond measure. Leaning against Tang San's shoulder, they fell asleep. They did not see the heartwarming reunion of their second uncle's family, nor did they hear the words in the Sea of Consciousness: "One Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast revived."

By the time she woke up, it was already noon the next day. Outside, the sky was brilliantly clear, while Nian Nian was still sleeping soundly in her bed. She quietly got up and tucked Nian Nian's blanket around her. Ever since Nian Nian had slept in her bed once, she had never gone back to sleeping elsewhere. She even had to sleep under a blanket. Such a delicate little kitty.

After changing clothes and tying up her hair, Ming Sui stretched. Huh, her Soul Power Level had actually increased. So yesterday's Soul Power depletion had not been entirely without benefits. Right, had her aunt's Humanoid Transformation succeeded yesterday? How was Third Brother?

When the maid in the courtyard saw that she was awake, she smilingly brought her breakfast—not lunch—and told her that her cousin would be coming over shortly. After thinking it over, Ming Sui decided to wait and eat with Tang San.

Tang San had not slept all night. The dark circles beneath his eyes did not make him look haggard. With his mother's body recovering as well, his whole spirit had lifted instead, giving him a different sort of charm. At the very least, Ming Sui was stunned by the sight.

Seeing that Ming Sui was still waiting for him to eat lunch, Tang San frowned. "It's all the same food. You should eat first. What if I come late? Wouldn't you keep waiting on an empty stomach?"

"Third Brother has never been late." Seeing how relaxed he looked, Ming Sui casually tossed out a teasing remark.

Tang San sat down and poured Ming Sui a cup of tea. Hearing that, he seemed to think of something and answered very seriously, "Third Brother will not be late."

Ming Sui had already started eating. She truly was hungry. For Soul Masters, age had little to do with physical development. Soul Power was what directly correlated with one's physical condition. A level twenty-two Soul Master already had the body of an adolescent, so naturally her appetite was no longer that of a seven- or eight-year-old girl. After sleeping for an entire day, nothing looked more appealing than food.

Tang San was not especially hungry. He picked out the dishes she liked for her and casually ate a little himself.

After eating until she was full, Ming Sui slumped in her chair and asked, "Third Brother, how are Uncle and Aunt?"

Tang San pulled her to her feet and dragged her out for a walk. "They're both well. She has gone into seclusion with Father. She only just completed her Humanoid Transformation, so she is still unstable and needs more cultivation. Mother also asked me to convey her thanks. She said it was all thanks to you and Nian Nian, and told me to give this to you."

Tang San took a small box from Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlight Night. Ming Sui accepted it and opened it, revealing a green crystal.

"This is a Life Crystal condensed by the plants in the forest. Only pure plants can form them. The crystals condensed by all the plants in the entire forest gathered into this one piece. It also happens to share the same origin as your Soul Power," Tang San introduced.

Ming Sui hesitated. "This is too precious. I can't accept it. Let Aunt absorb it to nurse her body back to health."

"What Mother needs now is cultivation. She does not lack vitality. Take it. One must not refuse a gift from one's elders." Tang San insisted, and only then did Ming Sui accept the gift.

"There's also something for Nian Nian. Mother gave her a lot of things the Emerald Angel Clan likes to eat. When Nian Nian wakes up later, we can see whether she likes them," Tang San added.

Ming Sui watched as Tang San explained all this, then asked, "How do you feel, Third Brother?" You talked about Father and Mother, thanked Nian Nian and me, but what about you?

Tang San was silent for a long time before speaking. "I don't know either. Yesterday, all I could think about was succeeding. Then Mother really came back, and even now it still doesn't feel real. Do I really have a mother now?" Had the hardships and instability of his previous life truly drifted far away from him?

Of course. She herself had been an orphan in her previous life, and even after having parents in this life, it had taken her a long time to get used to it. Third Brother would only find it harder to adapt than she had.

Ming Sui sighed, then suddenly remembered the gloves she had made for Third Brother before leaving Heaven Dou Imperial City. She had stuffed them into her Storage Spirit Tool. Scratching her head, she rummaged through it and took them out.

"Third Brother, this is for you. Last time, I saw that you had a spirit bone on your hand, so I made a similar glove. That way, even when you aren't using the spirit bone, your hand will still be black, haha. When you use the spirit bone again, it won't stand out so much." Ming Sui handed it to him.

The fabric was soft and skin-friendly, yet unafraid of Soul Power impacts. She had made him a glove, and it was even a single glove for his left hand. A huge wave of sweetness instantly swept away the melancholy in Tang San's heart.

He could not help smiling as he put it on.

It fit perfectly. Ming Sui planted her hands on her hips proudly. "As expected, my eyes are still accurate."

Tang San poured Soul Power into the Asura Void-Breaking Claw on his left hand. Sure enough, after putting on the glove, it was far less obvious. Though it could still be seen, it was much better than before.

"I like it very much. Thank you."

The noon sunlight was bright and dazzling, just like someone's mood—scorching and burning hot.

The disciple's family was sweetly reunited, but the teacher's days were truly not going well.

After Liu Erlong laid everything bare last time, Master stopped leaving his room.

Flender sighed. It had been like this before, and it was still like this now.

He knocked on Master's door. "Xiao Gang, I'm coming in."

Pushing open the door, he found Master sitting by the bed, unshaven and dejected.

"Are you awake?" Flender asked as he set the food he was carrying on the table.

Master sat there without moving. "Flender, I may not be able to stay at Shrek with you."

Flender took a deep breath, then let it out and dragged over a chair to sit across from Master.

"You want to find some place to hide away and do nothing again?"

"I feel like I'm still better off alone. That way, no one will be dragged down by me."

"Xiao Gang, how old are you this year?"

"Do you remember that you have a disciple named Tang San?"

"Do you still know that you're a teacher? Do you know you still have students?"

"Xiao San has a father and reliable relatives. He's better off following them than me."

"The children have you, the other teachers, the City Lord, and the rest. They work hard themselves, so they won't turn out badly."

At that point, Flender could no longer suppress his anger.

"Yu Xiaogang, you really are a bastard. How can relatives and teachers be the same? Go ask Xiao San if they're the same!"

"Do you remember what you teach at the academy? Tactics. You're a tactics teacher. What are you doing? Can't you wake up? What do you mean, the children don't need you as long as they work hard? Then what's the point of having a school!"

"Grow up. Don't act like a child who hides away after being wronged and criticized a few times. Either talk back or change so they have nothing to criticize. What does hiding accomplish? Does it mean you've gone deaf?"

The more Flender spoke, the angrier he became. In the end, he could not help slamming his hand on the table with a bang, making Master raise his head.

"You've already let Erlong down. Who else are you going to let down? Think about it properly."

With that, Flender turned and left.

Flender pulled the door shut behind him. Perhaps he was too angry, because it closed with a heavy slam.

That brief exchange kept circling through his mind.

"You bastard."

"Grow up. Don't act like a child!"

"Who else are you going to let down?"

"I'm sorry. This is the last time," he murmured.

Dai Mubai watched Flender leave like the wind and sighed. He did not know what story Dean Liu and the teachers had between them, but the atmosphere these past few days had been far too frightening. Even the most boisterous Oscar and Ma Hongjun had become quiet. They had even finished their homework. He had specifically checked both of their assignments yesterday, and they had been surprisingly serious.

The next day, Master came out and took them to watch the matches. Seeing that Master seemed to have returned to normal, Flender sighed but finally relaxed. The tense atmosphere that had lingered for days eased as well. Though it was still somewhat strange, everyone could finally breathe freely again.

Then Ma Hongjun failed to finish his match report that very day and was scolded in turns by Flender and Master.

Alright, now the atmosphere was normal again. Thank you, Ma Hongjun, for sacrificing yourself!

Having completed one major concern, Ming Zhen came to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect again, though Sect Master Ning did not want to see him.

"I've made some new discoveries recently. Do you want to hear about them?" Ming Zhen still wore that infuriating expression.

Ning Fengzhi snorted.

"You know Spirit Hall is divided into two factions, right?" Ming Zhen took a sip of tea.

Ning Fengzhi rolled his eyes. Everyone had known about this ever since Clear Sky Douluo severely wounded Qian Xunji. Bibi Dong, who succeeded as Pope, had been passive when dealing with the Clear Sky Sect. Meanwhile, the supposedly detached Spirit Hall had eagerly gone to threaten the Clear Sky Sect.

"According to the investigation, the people who initially arranged the fake Xue Qinghe were not the same people who stirred up trouble this time. You can guess who these two groups belonged to."

Why did he force himself to see Ming Zhen despite wanting to beat him up? It was not because he could not defeat Ming Zhen, but because this old fellow truly had valuable information.

With the support of the Head Wisdom Spirit Bone, Ning Fengzhi quickly began to think. It was known that Spirit Hall and the Papal Palace were at odds. If the arrangement had initially come from the Papal Palace, why would Spirit Hall step in to clean up after them? Substituting the Crown Prince with a Feline had nothing to do with the Clear Sky Sect. That meant the fake Xue Qinghe had been arranged by Spirit Hall. The fundamental interests in this matter aligned with those of the Papal Palace, which was why they intervened when Spirit Hall lost its Divine Artifact and lacked the strength to handle things.

To outsiders, Spirit Hall and the Papal Palace were both part of Spirit Hall.

"What scheme are you planning?" Ning Fengzhi rarely managed to say something polite.

"I knew you couldn't say anything nice. Fine, I recently discovered something useful. The kind that can seal a martial soul—even an Awakening Stone can't detect it. If you need it, I can sell it to you." Ming Zhen tapped the table, signaling Ning Fengzhi to pour him tea.

Ning Fengzhi took a breath. He still wanted to hammer this man into the ground. This person was truly detestable. "Name your price."

"Put it on my tab for now. I'll come find you when I think of it."